Simpel Reviews

Cait (Paper Fury)2019-01-18 08:51

AWWW. SO MANY FEELS RIGHT NOW. I really did like it and thought it was a sweet book, but I couldn't stand ANY of the secondary characters. Ergo the lower rating. I was so conflicted the whole time! I think the author captured Simple (his real name is Barnaby Maluri) incredibly well. He's got a learning disability and has the IQ of a 3 year old, but he's really 22. His 17-year-old brother, Kleber, is trying to take care of him. I mean, brother books?!?! BROTHER BOOKS ALWAYS MELT MY HEART. So while I adored the premise and their characters...erk. There were so many things I still didn't like. OH! And this book is translated from French! I didn't realise that before reading it and now I just feel kinda cool. Reading French books. BONJOUR. (That is like the state of my French. *ahem*) It's also set in Paris.STUFF THAT ANNOYED THE EYEBALLS OUT OF ME:• Okay so all Maluri brothers end up living in a house of college students (Kleber is going to college) but...agh. So much questionable romance. Like two of them are dating, but another dude loves the girl. And she keeps saying "NO" and he keeps badgering her. Ergh. Isn't that stalkerish?!• And there was a HUGE ephasis on your-life-is-nothing-without-a-woman-in-it. So Kleber was DESPERATE to get a girlfriend and it was awful. He decides which girl he wants and then just goes after her. No romantic attraction. Lust lust lust. And then HE FORCES HER TO KISS HIM. And in the end she's like totally okay with it. BUT THIS IS WRONG, I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS.• There is a lot of forcing people to kiss in this book.• But apparently that's "romantic".• Also one of the flatmates kisses Simple several times. I was not okay with this, because in EVERY other circumstance they treat him like a child, because, mentally, he is one. Would you kiss a child romantically? No. Stahp this. • ALL THE POV HEAD HOPPING. It was so omnipresent. Seriously, one paragraph we'd be in Simple's head, and then the next we'd be in Kleber's, and oh how about the next door neighbour now! Ergh....#nothappy• At one point in a mental institute, Simple has scissors and mutilates his toy rabbit. HOW. How are their scissors lying around?!?!• Also I really hated how they called him Simple. I don't know. Maybe it's a translation thing? But it's so awful and that's how he accepts it and he constantly calls himself "idiot" and...it's sad. I am sad. BUT ALL THAT ASIDE!!! It is super sweet at times. I love how Kleber understands Simple and even though Simple drives him crazy sometimes...he still wants his brother to be happy. And how at first all the flatmates are so horrible and say things like "Simple is a retard" and all that...they warm up to him and he MELTS their hearts and ajfdklsafd it's really adorable. I loved the character development!! And being in Simple's POV was flawless and smooth and his thought process was so clear and childish and just REALLY WELL WRITTEN, OKAY!??So I had quibbles and the romance made me want to stab myself in the eye with a spork...buuuut I still liked it. And it's super quick! Under 200-pages and I gobbled it in an afternoon. It's heartwarming and unique and sweet. SOMETIMES. I would've been okay if every single secondary character could've choked on a pretzel.... BUT ANYWAY.

I recently read 'My Brother Simple' by Marie-Aude Murail. It is about a teenage boy named Kleber Maluri who is looking after his brother, Simple, so Simple doesn't have to go into a institution. I wanted to read this book because I personally don't know anyone with learning difficulties and I was curious to know how others feel about it and how they cope.This book fits in the category of 'A book with a male main character'. I found this category very interesting because usually I only read books that have a girl main character. This is because I can relate to them more and I find them more personal, but, I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was touching, gripping and also very humorous.I didn't really have any favourite quotes in this book but I had a favourite scene. The scene was set in the flat where Kleber and Simple were staying, it was in the morning with Simple and Aria. Aria is one of the university students that also stays in the apartment. They were both having breakfast when simple started to use spoons to tell his childhood story, how he hated the institution and was so happy when his brother rescued him from it. It was such a sweet scene and really made you think about how positive he was even though he had to deal with such a hard thing is his life. It brought tears to my eyes and it was truly unforgettable and well written.From this book I learn't that you shouldn't care about what people think of you and you should keep your head up, stay strong and do what you think is right. Also don't judge others because of something that is wrong with them, for example learning difficulties, because they might actually be an amazing person with a huge heart.The character in this book that interested me was Kleber because even though he put so much effort into looking after his brother he still had a life of his own. Also he always put his brother first and made sure he was ok as well as being strict and trying to teach him how to behave and be kind to others.

Lindsay2019-01-15 10:44

Kleber Maluri is 17 and lives in Paris. His brother Barnaby, known to everyone as Simple, is 22, but has a mental age of about 3, and is inseparable from his soft-toy companion, Mister Babbit. Simple was in a institution called Malicroix, but Kleber knows how unhappy Simple is there, and decides he will look after his brother himself, as their mother has passed away and their father has a new life and is not interested in taking an active role caring for the two brothers.Kleber has his own hopes and dreams, of completing his second year of sixth form, going to University, meeting a girl and falling in love, but above all he cares deeply for his brother and how he is treated, despite the awkward situations that Simple invariably gets himself, or them both, into, as a result of his learning difficulties. Kleber finds a flatshare in the city where they can both live, and the other flatmates all react differently to Simple, but slowly he will come to influence and change all of their lives.This is a heart-warming, kind-hearted and moving tale, with a great young cast of characters. It is deftly written, a quick read on the surface, but with clever humour, sadness, and through the portrayal of Simple's character and the way he interacts with and observes others, the author shrewdly reveals the truth about these people. My Brother Simple is actually a telling exploration of the quick judgments we can make about people and the truth that lies beneath our assumptions. It is an immensely enjoyable and rewarding novel and I would recommend it to young adult readers and older readers too.My Brother Simple was a bestseller in France, and won the Prix SNCF du Livre de Jeunesse, and in Germany it won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.

Simple has learning difficulties...I think I was expecting more from this book, given its popularity on GoodReads. For one thing it is written in a style suited to quite young children, yet the content is definitely too promiscuous for that age group. For another, the translation doesn't really work; it came across as if the main characters were speaking to French people in English. And I also wonder why the two boys, Kleber and Barnaby Maluri are chosen to be of Arabic descent, an extra complication that is never really dealt with.Barnaby, known (rather insultingly) as Simple, is 21, but has a mental age of 3 1/2. He's been institutionalised for many years, but is very unhappy there, so his younger (17) brother has decided to remove him and find a place for them both in Paris.They eventually find a shared house, with four students, and most of the story covers the interaction between themselves and this group.The characterisations were good and the way the students learned life-lessons from Simple, and vise versa, kept my attention. My favourite character was the talking rabbit, Mr Babbit, Simple's life companion and soft toy, who voices many of Simple's worries and frustrations.A quick, easy read, but not a book I would particularly recommend, unfortunately.

I certainly didn't expect I would enjoy this book that much since I had to read it for school but I was still pleasantly surprised!"He will open your eyes, and still your heart"He certainly did stole my heart <3

My Brother Simple is an incredible novel with a flowing plot and perfect characters. For me this humorous love story was impossible to put down. It follows the life of Kleber and his brother who has learning disabilities, Simple. Kleber saves Simple from the Malicroix mental institution, their father’s solution to Simple’s disability. Kleber then takes Simple to the city where they move into a flat with other students at Kleber’s college. Immediately everyone in the flat found Simple frustrating and annoying, regretting their decision to accept Kleber into the flat. His toy rabbit, Mr Babbit, is especially annoying for them. However, they start to see a funny side to Simple’s personality, and things only get better from there. On the whole, My Brother Simple is a heart-warming, knee-slapping novel that you can’t put down.

Lauren Staniford2019-01-13 09:35

As a younger sister of an older brother with Down's syndrome, I thought I would really love this book. I really identified with kleber, the younger brother and the responsibilities he faced with caring for simple. The book didn't really answer all my questions though - what about their mother, father, step mother - soon their step brother or sister. The book just ends after a party. I know mister Babbit is symbolic of simples innocence, I just didn't have the energy to come up with my own interpretation. The book definitely was lacking something.

Quynh Dao2018-12-22 09:50

Worse than Oh boy, I was disappointed

Chris Olusesi2019-01-13 10:27

Its a great book, very different to other books that I have read. This is because of the way it shows very interesting details of an interesting case, the case of a mentally challenged individual.

A Spoiler Free Bit About The BookKleber has trouble searching for somewhere to live with his brother Simple who has learning difficulties giving him the IQ of a three year old. Taking matters into his own hands, Kleber moves himself and Simple into a flat with some university students to show his father that Simple does not need to go back to the institution that frightens him.Somehow the flat mates have to accept Simple and Kleber for who they are whilst dealing with the issues in their own lives.My ReviewThis book is like nothing I've ever read before. It was very strange at first. It was written in the third person which I don't usually like because I find it difficult to connect with the characters. But somehow this still felt personal. I understood all the characters and wanted to know more about them. Not at first however. The flat mates took some getting used to as at first I hated them all. But I think you're supposed to.Getting back to the way it was written, it switched from point of view as do many third person novels, but unlike them, it was done without a break between characters. We could be following Kleber and then all of a sudden we're following Simple without anything to tell us other than Murail's voice. Even though it wasn't obvious when we were changing, it was still clear, if that makes any sense at all. I always knew who was in the spotlight at which points and that is pure genius. Murail really does have a talent for voice.I don't really have much else to say. It was odd. It made me think. I enjoyed reading it.The only other thing I can think of is that I had no idea where the plot was going but not in a good way. I was reading and there was no hook because I didn't know where it was going. It almost felt like a sitcom and not a novel. I enjoyed it nonetheless.This will be the shortest review of all time because I'm still unsure what I really thought of this book.EvaluationPlot - 7/10 - very interesting ideaWay Plot Was Pursued - 6/10 - I wanted more to happen but maybe that's the beauty of this book - that it's so SimpleCharacters - 7/10 - I liked them but that took timeStyle - 8/10 - felt weird to read but the 'voice' was great.Pace - 8/10 - nothing wrong with it but nothing to keep me readingWould I recommend it? - Yes, especially if you're looking for something different.Would I look up the author? - No. This was a translation from French and maybe that was why I found it so odd.My Brother Simple was heart-warming and special, there won't be much else like it.

For a more detailed review, please go to my blog.This book is truly awesome. I fell in love with the character immediately, which is always a good sign, because for me, there is nothing more important in a book than the characters. Above all, Simple and his brother Colbert are very cute, not only because of the way they interact with each other, but also in the way the both struggle to live their own life and be the person they want to be without hurting the ones they love. It becomes clear from the very beginning of the book, that the two brothers care about each other deeply and this wonderful relationship is described as so real and unbelievably touching. These two young men only have each other in their lives, but even though they both know how hard that is, they always try to do their best to be there for each other. My Brother Simple is a book about how hard and unfair, and beautiful and wonderful and full of love life can be. It is about decisions, good ones and bad ones, about family and friendship and love. Above all, it's really love in all its different ways.I highly recommend that book for anyone. I read it in only one day, but it caught my attention from the first to the last page. And I sure will not only read it again, but also take a look at what other books Marie-Aude Murail has written. Please do yourself a favour: Read My Brother Simple. It's touching and heartwarming. It will make you laugh and cry and want to hug everyone who is important to you in your life. Not a lot of books can do this to you. But this is definitely one of them.

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